A MYSTERIOUS inscription on a silver ring pulled from the earth in Swindon gives the only clue as to its previous owner.

The piece of jewellery, made with elaborate detail, carries the words AL.WAYES.ON followed by the image of a sprig.

The ring, which Swindon Museum and Art Gallery hopes to acquire, could possibly have been a declaration of love – made around 1,000 years ago.

The medieval artefact is one of many finds in Wiltshire which have been declared ‘treasure trove’ to the county coroner.

Another is a fragment of a silver buckle which was found in Lydiard Tregoze last February.

The accessory, also from medieval times, depicts a creature with a tail and a two-clawed foot.

The object is also testimony to the skill and craftmanship of the time, showing the animal’s beak and a tendril curving behind its head.

Fragments of copper from the Iron Age and Roman coins bearing the names Honorius, Arcadius and Juilan are among the other finds.

The details of discoveries over the past three years have been provided by the British Museum, which processes finds in England and Wales.

Katie Hinds, finds liaison officer for Wiltshire, has the job of meeting up with metal detecting clubs to analyse objects.

She said: “People can find anything and things of all dates come up. The treasure process involves objects of gold or silver over 300 years old or hoards of coins or pre-historic base metal.

“However there are an awful lot more finds that don’t fall into those specific definitions that are of equal interest.

“A lot of things you might consider boring because it is fragmentary, or made of base metal, can be a lot more informative historically than the fancy stuff.”

Miss Hinds records objects discovered by the public on a database but major hauls are rare, the last two having been handed in before she took up her role in 2003.

“There’s a misconception out there that every time you go out detecting you will find something,” she said.

“Anyone who goes out metal detecting will tell you they can spend hours sifting through ring pulls and other junk before they get something interesting.

“They certainly put a lot of hours and dedication into finding stuff.

“I wouldn’t say they find a lot of stuff but there have been a couple of hoards which have been purchased through the treasure process.”

The silver ring, which has traces of gilding on its inside surface, may go on public view at the Old Town museum after being found in December.

Miss Hinds said: “You get these little inscriptions where through the general illiteracy of the time they try to say something but it doesn’t quite make sense.

“You find messages on betrothal rings so I imagine it’s some kind of declaration of love but the meaning’s perhaps a bit lost now.

“It may be something which was said at the time which doesn’t make sense now.”

Victoria Barlow, manager for conservation and heritage at Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, also believes the best finds are not always the best-preserved or even the most valuable.

“Treasure is an interesting word,” she said.

“The thing about archaeology is that you can never truly know what is out there.

“Wiltshire in particular has such a rich archaeological history that putting a pot plant in means you may find something.

“The real treasure is something which gives us information.

“This could be unusual bits of pot or bones rather than the shiny stuff.”

List of finds in Wiltshire...

  • Swindon, Post Medieval: Silver finger-ring with traces of gilding on the inside surface. It is inscribed (trefoil shape) AL.WAYES.ON followed by a sprig. The hoop is now squashed. It is flat to the inside surface with stamped decoration on the outside. This takes the form of a quatrefoil within a circle interspersed with two horizontally-arranged crescents (curve against curve) with a pellet at either end. At the join, two quatrefoils within rings are next to each other. The decoration has a double rim to either side.
  • Tisbury, Roman: 19 light miliarenses and a siliqua (coins).
  • Tisbury, Iron Age: 40 stater coins.
  • Lydiard Tregoze, Medieval: A fragment of silver gilt zoomorphic buckle frame consisting of one half of the outside edge only.
  • Longbridge Deverill, Post-Medieval: Ten silver coins. Eight are English silver groats and the rest are double patards of Charles the Bold, the Duke of Burgundy.
  • l Salisbury, Bronze Age: Gold-plated Penannular ring.
  • Urchfront: Silver dagger chape with openwork foliate decoration, possibly pre-1711.
  • Ebbesborne Wake, Post-Medieval: Silver hooked tage consisting of a heart-shaped plate wit a scalloped outer edge.
  • Minety, Medieval: Silver finger ring.
  • Cherhill, Roman/ Early Medieval: Fragment of silver penannular brooch.
  • Edington, Post-Medieval: Incomplete silver seal matrix.
  • Bishopstone, Post-Medieval: Silver circular cuff-link button. The button shows a heart superimposed on a pair of crossed arrows and with a flame above, against a field.
  • Bromham, probably Medieval: Silver finger ring.
  • Alverdiston, early Medieval: Coin brooch formed of a silver penny of William I (1066-1087).
  • Alverdiston, Medieval: Silver mount or eyelet in the form of an annulet.
  • Longbridge Deverill, post-Medieval: Silver button or possibly cuff link element.
  • Kingston Deverill, Medieval: Incomplete silver strap fitting. The piece is incomplete with one end remaining. It is formed of a strip of silver bent back 180 degrees on itself.
  • Compton Bassett, undatable: Gold ring, possibly a finger-ring but more likely a scarf ring of 19th century date.
  • Bishops Cannings, Roman: Silver finger-ring of ‘keeled’ type, set with a moulded light-blue intaglio.
  • Melksham, Medieval/post Medieval: Silver finger ring.
  • Malmesbury, Medieval: Incomplete silver annular brooch in the form of an eight-pointed star, complete with pin.
  • Urchfront, Roman: Two silver denarii coins: Domitian & Antoninus Pius.
  • Salisbury, Bronze Age: Hoard of coins made of copper and lead.
  • Tisbury, unknown: Fragment of a gold unidentified object.
  • Marlborough, Medieval: Silver annular brooch, now a little squashed.
  • Pewsey, Roman: Silver siliquae coins, Honorius, Arcadius & Julian.
  • Downton, Bronze Age: Penannular ring, comprising a gold foil covering over a base metal core.
  • Malmesbury, Medieval/late Medieval: Iconographic finger ring with an inscription on the hoop.
  • Urchfront, Medieval: Complete silver gilt annular brooch. The brooch frame is D shaped in section with a 2mm long constriction to allow for the pin to move freely.
  • Alvediston, Post Medieval: Silver-gilt bracteate stamped pilgrims badge.
  • Easterton, Medieval: Silver gilt pendant in the form of a crucifix.
  • West Lavington, Iron Age: Gold-plated copper alloy bar with rounded ends and oval cross-section, forming an elongated tear-drop shape.
  • Tisbury, Bronze Age: Spearhead tip and two fragments of a socketed object.
  • Vale of Wardour, Bronze/Iron Age: A hoard of bronze weapons, tools and ornaments.
  • l Kingston Deverill, Roman: Silver coin hoard, 2 siliquae.
  • Malmesbury, Post-Medieval: Gold mourning ring.
  • Corsley, Medieval: A penny of Henry VI, annulet coinage, which has been gilded and pierced to be worn perhaps as an amulet.
  • Hindon, Iron Age: Ten individual copper alloy object fragments, one gold sheet fragment and several copper alloy fragments of casting.
  • l Alvediston, Medieval: Silver gilt finger ring with D shaped hoop, flat on the inner side, convex on the outer.
  • Hullavington, Post Medieval: Silver dress fastener of unknown function.
  • Everleigh, Modern: Complete silver unidentified object, probably an appliqué.